Barcelona Restaurateur's New Outdoor Kitchen

If you're searching for the home of Barcelona Wine Bar restaurateur Sasa Mahr-Batuz, just follow the smoke.

Tucked deep in the woods of Weston with a white horse for a neighbor, the split-level modernish home is not easy to find.

But if you sniff the air, the aroma of wood charcoal will lead you to the back patio, where Mahr-Batuz can be found making pizza in the 1000-degree oven or charring yellow peppers on top of a grill.

Mahr-Batuz recently added an outdoor kitchen to his home, which he designed, expanding the entertaining space with a table of his own design made of steel legs and a California redwood top.

The chimney of the pizza oven echoes the roof line of the house, and patches of ivy have been planted and are being trained to grow up the stone sides of the oven and grills. Pots of tomatoes and herbs grow on the bluestone patio. Mahr-Batuz plucks a yellow tomato off a vine, slices it and throws it on top of pizza dough with some imported anchovies. It's a tasty appetizer indeed.

Entertaining seems second nature to Mahr-Batu,z who quickly opened a market umbrella over his outdoor table of ingredients as the sky opened up on a recent Monday afternoon. His friend, chef Paolo Freire, was in town from Porto, Portugal, so Mahr-Batuz decided to throw a dinner party for about 30 people. Why not?

In addition to the pizza oven, there is a "plancha," or flat grill, that can be used like a giant sauté pan to cook meat, fish or even eggs. Mahr-Batuz has an entire set of cast-iron cookware that he can use on top of the plancha that is stored in the laundry room. An Argentinian grill rounds out the kitchen and is used for grilling meat. It has V-shaped ridges that capture the dripping fat so it doesn't flame up in the fire and alter the taste of the meat.

"I went over to a guy's house and he was making pizzas at about 5 a.m. after an evening out, kind of a late dinner," Mahr-Batuz said. "That's how it started." Without finishing his thought, he dashes inside to get sausage and potatoes for the grill.

Christian Petroni, a chef partner at the Barcelona restaurant in Greenwich, used an infared gun to measure the temperature of the fire.

"We cook the pizzas at 1000 degrees but then let the fire die down to 500 or 600 degrees to cook fish and meat," said Petroni, who was on hand to help with the dinner along with Mahr-Batuz's sister, Daniela Mahr, who made white-wine sangria from Uraguay called "clarico" with peaches, citrus fruits, strawberries, brandy and a pinch of sugar.

After pizza, the cooks and chefs had fish cooling on ice, some marinated steaks and potatoes with fresh fennel ready to go on the grill.

At about $50,000, this outdoor kitchen and patio seems expensive, but Mahr-Batuz uses it often. "I love to cook," he said. "I will light the fire if I'm cooking for friends on a Sunday or even if I'm just here alone."

It's a wonder that Mahr-Batuz has time for parties at all. He and partner Andy Pforzheimer are in the midst of opening three new restaurants: a Barcelona Wine Bar in Atlanta and two Bar Taco restaurants in Port Chester, N.Y. and Stamford. (check them out at http://www.bartacousa.com)

The inspiration for more casual restaurants came from a taco truck located just off I-95 in New Haven, on Sargent Drive.

"We were so blown away by the taco and wished we could have a beer or fresh-squeezed margarita with it," Mahr-Batuz said. "We're not going for the beans and rice and sour cream type of taco, but something like you'd find in Mexico, grilled fish with a squeeze of lime or steak with onions."

Rotisserie chicken, sushi, tapas and other light foods will be on the menu. As in the Barcelona restaurants, the look, feel and sound of the restaurant are as important as the food. Bar Taco will have a Montauk or Watch Hill vibe: beachy, but with excellent food and drink.

Three Continents

Mahr-Batuz does not consider himself a chef, but a cook. One of his strengths in the business is choosing all the items in the restaurant that contribute to ambience: the art on the walls, the glassware, the music. He attributes this sensibility to "living on three continents." Born in Argentina to an Austrian mother and Hungarian father, Mahr-Batuz was raised in Vienna and Westport and left high school in 10th grade to play professional tennis in Europe, where he was exposed to cuisine and culture. He and Pforzheimer opened their first restaurant in South Norwalk in 1995.

Mahr-Batuz's home is a 1960 Sears Roebuck pre-fab that's been renovated and looks a lot like his restaurants, with an eclectic mix of modern and traditional furnishings. Two giant planters accentuate the front door. Guests cross a bluestone entryway and descend a small flight of stairs to get to the living area. The first floor is essentially one big room with zones for different activities: a cozy sitting area by the fireplace, a comfortable white sofa and chairs for reading and listening to music and a giant open kitchen with white tile, marble countertops and leather stools to seat six people.

Upstairs, Mahr-Batuz situated his office with a view of the property. He favors mid-century classics like an Eames molded plywood chair and a Noguchi glass-topped coffee table, as well as a wood-and-steel desk that he designed.

"He has great taste," said Daniela Mahr. "He's very talented at making things look and feel good."